Questions and answers

Can an overdose on xanax slow down the breathing to 6 breaths per minute? (I thought that was a symptom of opiate overdose?) and if xanax does slow down breathing this much, is this considered dangerous?

Although bradypnea (decreased respiratory rate) is more typical of opiate overdose, it is a possible symptom of benzos overdose. Opiate overdose can kill a person by respiratory depression, this is very unlikely overdosing benzos.

im on a new anxiolytic called buspar (buspirone), and i was wondering if it’ll have any interactive effects with marijuana, MDMA, DMT, or LSD???

There are no studies available about clinical interactions between buspirone and psychedelic drugs. Buspirone acts partially on serotoninergic receptors 5-HT1A and decreases effects of serotonin-releasing drugs as fluoxetine. So it is possible that effects of MDMA, DMT or LSD should be diminished. In theory, effects of marijuana should not change.

Instead of tobacco, what should I put into my weed, which is less destructive, but doesn’t smell/taste like shit?

I know I know, ppl should be smoking pure green, but I don’t have the wallet for that.

Combustion of all vegetals leads to toxic substances that can alter respiratory airway. There is discussion about if tobacco is more or less toxic than cannabis but, in any case, smoking plants is always unhealthy. The healthiest alternative is vaporizing. There are certified vaporizers for cannabis therapeutic use but the problem is that they are expensive. But there are also models cheaper, and benefits are clear compared to smoking.

I have a friend who has/suffers from Supra ventricular tachycardia. He’s had a few attacks in his life and is in the process of seeing experts about his heart. The recent scans he has had have actually shown that his heart is fine and healthy apart from some ‘faulty wiring’ (which I don’t quite understand) and an ablation could be done to fix that. It’s worth noting he suffers from quite bad anxiety at times and I personally believe this could be the possible cause but doctors don’t seem to accept or address that.

Anyway to the question, for someone who has/has had SVT attacks (around once a year but could be two in a year then not one for another two years) but no known abnormalities scructurally what are the risks of doing say MDMA or LSD? He would love to try MDMA but obviously heart conditions and MDMA are generally a no go but I’m wondering if MDMA would actually be potentially dangerous?

Another point is he gets a bit anxious while smoking weed solely because of his heart and can feel it beating faster and worries him a bit (he generally feels like there’s something really wrong with his heart but I believe it’s the way he actually views it making the problem worse).

Amphetamines and amphetamine derivatives can trigger tachycardia episodes. In a person suffering from SVT antecedents this effect is more likely. Both amphetamine and methamphetamine are contraindicated in persons with cardiac problems, and clinical trials with MDMA exclude also persons with this antecedents. It is difficult to estimate the risk (SVT are more umconfortable than dangerous, in general) but there are reported cases of severe problems:

I was wondering if you knew of any long term effects (postive or negative) from DMT use (heavy or not).

As many other “classical psychedelics” organic toxicity of DMT is practically nonexistent. There are no reported cases of intoxication resulting in acute death. Lethal dosage is calculated based in animal models and it seems a reasonably secure drug. There are no reports about neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity or damage to other human organs, not even in animal administration.
Problems of long-term or acute DMT are of psychological nature. For some people it can be difficult to integrate psychedelic experiences. In people using it very often it can be difficult to distinguih between normal and modified states of consciousness, or difficulties to integrate these experiences in normal life. In a classical, psychiatric point of view, this could lead to anxiety or other affective disorders. It is also possible (uncommon, but possible) to trigger a psychotic episode.
A complete review about DMT effects:
http://www.moishv.com/works/iceers-org/docs/science/ayahuasca/ayahuasca-paper-addiction-ja07.pdf

im wondering about mescaline and buspar (buspirone)? i read somewhere that cocaine mixed with buspar can cause seizures.. and since mescaline is a semi-stimulant, i was wondering about it.

There are not many data about this particular. Buspirone does not act as an stimulant. Effects, adverse effects, toxicity and effects of overdosing are not that from stimulants. Anyway, there is little research about combination between psychedelic and prescription drugs. I do not recommend to use psychedelics while on therapeutic drugs. If you are doing so it is important to be very careful with dosages.

Is it a good idea to stop a bad trip on mushroom or LSD with benzo’s (I have Xanax and Valium)?

If symptoms of a bad trip are mild it is possible to manage them using simply psychological measures (talking quietly to the person, remember him/her that he is under the effect of a drug, that he is not going to be crazy forever, offer some physical contact, try to alleviate hallucinations…). If symptoms are very severe (extreme anxiety, paranoid ideas, aggresivity) it is possible to use any benzo or even some neuroleptics (there are some experiences with haloperidol, olanzapine and risperidone).

I don´t know what you exactly mean with doing “a looooootttttttt” of benzos. If “”a looooootttttttt” means a very high dosage, intoxication of benzos can lead to heavy sleep, even coma. If “a looooootttttttt” means “with high frequency” common adverse effects of benzos include drowsiness, amnesia, tolerance and dependence. In general, doing “a looooootttttttt” of almost everything is bad for health

I am very interested in exploring 5-MEO-DMT as an entheogen. However, I am apprehensive about whether there are any dangers. I have never read about any reported deaths or serious complications, but the many trip reports mention breathing irregularities, having to remember to breath, people turning a bit blue in the face, extremely elevated heart rate or blood pressure, feeling like an elephant in sitting on you or you blood is turning to concrete, etc. I read the LD50 is very high though, far higher than the active dose. So my question, are these physical effects all in peoples’ heads? Is 5-MEO-DMT just as safe as N-N-DMT or are there any real dangers involved?

Effects and risks of 5-MeO-DMT have been studied during decades. In fact, 5-MeO-DMT is a common constituent of many different plants and has been used traditionally in psychoactives snuffs such as Yopo from the Anadenanthera colubrina seeds, Epena from Virola sap, and some ayahuasca-type brews. Risks are basically psychological and, as many other classical psychedelics, physical toxicity is considered to be very low. Short term (1-10 minute) non-responsiveness or unconsciousness has been reported with smoked doses over 8-10 mg or insufflated doses over 15-20 mg, so sitters are extremely important. I think breathing problems are probably related to psychological stress, as there are no reported cases in science of organic toxicity associated to 5-MeO-DMT ( with the exception of intoxication from large doses and/or combinations with MAOIs)

I was hoping you could answer a question about regular ketamine use and nasal health.

I started using early this year and got comfortable with 100mg (insufflated) per week. This continued for about five months with a gap in between. I’ve not used for a few months after I became concerned about my insides and my nose, even though by all accounts I was within safe limits. I noticed no side effects and obviously had no problem with tolerance, but decided to play it safe and stop using for the time being.

Do you know what kind of level of usage of K is possible while avoiding long-term problems resulting from either the drug itself or snorting on a weekly basis?

Long-term problems of ketamine use are ketamine-associated cistopathy and dependence. Cistopathy appears generally in long-term, heavy-dosage users and your dosages seem to be low risk in this sense. Potential of addiction depends on dosage, but also in psychological and personal circumstances. It is impossible to estimate a 100% safe dosage, obviously risks increase with dosage and frequency. 100 mg/week seems a reasonable dosage, although there are many risk factors some of which are unpredictable.

In relation with snorting, it is recommendable to pulverize the substance to a very thin dust before sniffing. Do not use always the same nostril for sniffing, but alternate both. Sniffing straw should not point to nasal septum, but to nasal turbinates (lateral ) , where vascularization is greater and absorption better. Saline irrigation can be used several days (better using a syringe) twice a day.